Amy Winehouse died during detox?

 

Late Singer Amy Winehouse had a prescribed drug in her system upon her demise on July 23, says father Mitch Winehouse. Mitch reveals that his daughter did have the drug Librium in her body when she died and adds Librium is a prescribed substance that is given to those who are overcoming related stories Rehab after Amy Winehouse on Sept 14 alcohol detoxification, and is used to reduce seizures, Contactmusic reported. "Everything Amy did, she did to excess. She drank to excess and did detox to excess," he said Mitch insists that Amy had been winning her battle with booze, saying "the periods of abstinence were becoming longer, and the periods of drinking were becoming shorter". Mitch also says that Amy's attempts at giving up alcohol had resulted in seizures during which she would lose consciousness and speculated as to whether such an episode was the cause of her death.

M5: Wrong way driver Deborah Hunt is jailed

 

A woman drove for 23 miles the wrong way along a motorway dodging other road users before eventually coming to a stop. Mother-of-three Deborah Hunt, 43, spent at least 20 minutes in the southbound overtaking lane of the M5 after doing a U-turn in the carriage near Junction 24 for Bridgwater. Police found her trying to restart the engine to her Peugeot 806 in the hard shoulder near Junction 21 for Weston-Super-Mare and she smelled heavily of alcohol. As she was jailed for nine months today, Judge Mark Horton said he would be failing in his public duty if he did not give her a custodial sentence. Hunt, of Langport, Somerset, was suffering from alcoholism, stress caused by unemployment as a financial adviser, and a battle with her ex-husband over custody of their children. Judge Horton said it was 'unbelievably fortunate' no one had been killed or injured by her as she drove at 60mph in the dark after 11pm on July 14 this year in northern Somerset.

Addict: Virtual World Crowds Out Real Life

 

What starts out as a fun activity, can take over some lives. Some psychiatrists say video games are one of the big addictions of the decade and can cause problems for people who play them too much. Others argue it is not a recognized addiction.

Described in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book as "cunning, baffling, powerful," addiction often seems as inscrutable as the human mind itself. Its reach is widespread

Described in the Alcoholics Anonymous Big Book as "cunning, baffling, powerful," addiction often seems as inscrutable as the human mind itself. Its reach is widespread: Else Pedersen, executive director of Bridge House, estimates 10 to 15 percent of the population has an addiction. "We all either have this or have some strong primary connection to it," she says. "This is everywhere, and it needs to be dealt with like the medical issue it is. We need to give it the same attention we give other diseases that are progressive, pervasive and potentially lethal."

 

  Last month, The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) made a big step toward widespread recognition of addiction as a medical issue rather than a behavioral issue or moral failing. It released a new definition which states addiction is a chronic, underlying, largely genetic brain disease.

  "The disease is about brains, not drugs," former president of ASAM Dr. Michael Miller stated in a press release. "It's about underlying neurology, not outward actions." Miller oversaw a four-year effort by more than 80 addiction experts and neuroscience researchers which yielded the new definition.

  Dr. Ken Roy, medical director of Addiction Recovery Resources Incorporated in Metairie, calls it a game-changer.

  "This is a definition based on a consensus of expert opinion and scientific literature that changes the understanding of addiction from a choice or a self-treatment to a condition of brain structures that basically compels behavior outside the ability to choose," he says. "It's also pivotal in the sense that it equates a compulsion to use chemicals with compulsions to have other kinds of behaviors such as food or gambling or sex. (It is) the same disease state. Addiction is not a choice."

  The new definition reveals addiction to be a primary disease, much like diabetes or cardiovascular disease. It can be a root cause behind other behavioral, social and psychological problems like depression, cognitive distortions, social isolation and anxiety. According to ASAM's definition, "genetic factors account for about half the likelihood that an individual will develop addiction" — meaning if one of your parents is or was an addict, you are genetically predisposed to developing addiction.

  Since addiction has physical, neurobiological causes, one would expect the brains of addicts to function differently than the brains of non-addicts. This is exactly what happens, says Dr. Howard Wetsman, medical director at Townsend, a network of local outpatient addiction treatment centers. Many (not all) addicts have a morphology (or mutation) in the genes associated with the production, release, reuptake and metabolizing of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Wetsman refers to the intricate factors governing normal dopamine levels as "dopamine tone."

   "Generally, people who have a low dopamine tone are not able to make great attachments and feel rewards from normally rewarding activities, and that is when the drug or behavior comes along," he says. " Our society likes to think that drugs cause addiction. It's actually the other way around for most people with addiction. The addiction causes the drug use," he writes in his book, QAA: Questions and Answers on Addiction.

  The genetic factor is so pervasive that Wetsman has instituted genetic testing as part of Townsend's intake procedure. "The test identifies two dozen genetic mutations in the brain that relate to symptoms of addiction," says John Antonucci, an intake coordinator at Townsend who also is recovering from addiction. "This information helps fine-tune medical interventions, and it is amazing when you take a patient and their family members, and they realize it really is a biological brain disease. I like to equate it to seeing the X-ray when you have a broken arm. And I have seen family members break down and cry when they realize all this time, their kids weren't doing this to spite them. They were doing it because they were sick."

  Though Antonucci says nine out of 10 of Townsend's patients report addiction in their family trees, there are some addicts without a family history or genetic indication of the disease (but because addiction can express itself through many different compulsions, from overeating to compulsive spending, it can sometimes be hard to trace, Wetsman says). New Orleans native, Xavier University alumnus, father of five and recovering addict Darryl Rouson, now a Florida state representative, had no known family history of addiction.

  "My mother was known to cut her beer with 7-Up, and my dad drank three or four times a year," says Rouson, who began drinking and using cocaine in the '80s. "I wasn't drinking for the social nature, I wanted the effect, and I wanted it quickly, and for a long time. For me, it started out filling what I thought were voids in my life, low self-esteem: I never thought I was cute enough, strong enough, athletic enough or smart enough, and I was always doing things to compensate for these lacks."

  Rouson says he has been through eight treatment programs and is well-versed in the genetic component of addiction, but he has never been tested for the morphologies. Though genetic testing can provide clarity to a diagnosis of addiction, and a basis for what medications will best normalize individuals' brain chemistry, neither testing nor medications are necessary for recovery. "There are millions of people who have gotten sober by going to 12-step meetings (like Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous). For some people, that works," says Jo Cohen, clinical director of New Orleans Bridge House and Grace House. "We support the science, but like everything else in treatment, it's an individualized approach."

  Although people do not choose to become addicts, they do have choices over how they manage the disease. Addiction requires ongoing treatment, which varies from person to person — some may benefit from ongoing use of medications like Suboxone, some may require long-term inpatient treatment, others may stay sober simply by attending 12-step meetings. Antonucci stresses that a strong routine of recovery-related activities like meetings or volunteering helps people maintain sobriety, as does access to help from addiction doctors. "This is a chronic disease like diabetes or hypertension," he says. "If you are diabetic, you get exercise and take insulin, but there are times you need to check up with your endocrinologist."

    Rouson manages his addiction by attending 12-step meetings, sponsoring other recovering addicts, reading Alcoholics Anonymous literature, and giving back to the community by sharing his story at prisons and recovery centers. He will speak at Xavier Wednesday, Sept. 14, to celebrate National Recovery Month.   

  "One of the critical reasons why I got clean was I was given a choice," he says. "(My wife) Ruby was dead and I had taken her $80,000 life insurance policy and spent $60,000 on cocaine. I was in a courtroom with my wife's family and they were trying to convince the judge to take my four-year-old son. The judge said I could either choose Daniel or drugs, but after today, I would not have both. I chose my son."

  Antonucci and Rouson both say their community outreach work, which is a tenant of Alcoholics Anonymous (the 12th step states, "Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our affairs"), is essential to their ongoing sobriety. And though there may seem to be a disconnect between the scientific, biologically based addiction definition and the spiritually based 12-step programs, ASAM's research scientically supports the activities recovering addicts undertake in 12-step recovery programs as ways to maintain sobriety.

  "Our medical approach to addiction dovetails very nicely into 12-step recovery, because there is a scientific basis behind how it works," Antonucci says. "Part of my recovery is, I serve food to homeless people every Saturday night, and afterwards, I feel great. Why do I feel great? My hedonic tone has gone up. Doing something really healthy for the community has changed my brain chemistry."

  Wetsman agrees that engaging in charitable activities can normalize dopamine levels. "You get dopamine lowering from being isolated and feeling less-than," he says. "You can't feel isolated and less than when you help somebody else — dopamine receptors actually physically gain in number. The receptors are much more plastic than we think."

  Pederson, Antonucci and medical professionals across the board hope the new definition of addiction will serve to remove much of the shame and stigma surrounding the disease, which in turn will facilitate recovery for the millions who suffer from addiction.

  "When people have a strong understanding about the disease, that's when the miracles happen, and treatment can be extremely successful," Antonucci says. "Don't be afraid to get better. This can work for you, too. Give yourself a chance."

1,000 more people are admitted to hospital every day for drinking compared with five years ago, new research shows.

Official figures reveal that 1.1 million people in England were admitted to hospital in 2009/10 because of alcohol – a rise of 879 per day compared with five years ago.
Overall there was a 25 per cent increase in the number of people admitted to hospital for reasons caused by drinking, a round-up of existing data showed.
The situation is more severe in some parts of the county than others with 3,114 people being admitted per 100,000 people in Liverpool, compared with 850 per 100,000 on the Isle of Wight.
Last night campaigners blamed the rise of cheap supermarket alcohol for the increase in problem drinking.
Other figures show that 7.6 per cent of drinkers are now considered to be at "high risk" of putting their health in danger, with a rising number of people developing and dying from chronic liver disease.

 

Addiction: My experience of rehabilitation in the UK

Amy Winehouse’s death has put drug addiction and rehabilitation back in the spotlight. Her biggest hit, Rehab, tops the charts, but our national approach to, and our policy for treating addicts desperately needs to top the media agenda.

I have firsthand experience of lost teenage years to a life in organised crime, fuelled with drugs and drink. Now aged 68 and with hindsight, my credentials to talk with authority are gold plated.

Addiction pervades our society in unseen ways; boardroom executives have undertaken billion pound decisions either under the influence of mind altering stimulants or outside pressure from organized criminals laundering money. Street addicts rob and attack others to feed their habit. Town centres each weekend resemble battle zones with kids involved in fights, car crashes filling our magistrate’s courts and hospitals. Most of the 200,000 youths spoken to by police each year have drug/alcohol problems.

Firstly, government policy makers don’t accept or understand the true gravity of the issue. They have never implemented new laws with a national programme to deal with the UK drug epidemic. Legalising drugs will simply bring about easier ways to get hooked. Kids will still have to buy their drugs and will steal to do so. Legalising mind altering substances that do harm to our young is rubbish. Why not give them guns, but tell them not to shoot? Hash is as bad as any drug and often leads toclass A use. Shall future generations smoke one, two or three joints before studying for an exam?  My life was ruined through drugs, which is why as a criminal, I had no part in that trade. Tunnel into banks – yes, that was okay – but be part of anything that was going to inflict the same pain I lived with on innocent children? No, I would never allow it

 

Amy Winehouse: Why is there so little understanding of addiction

Amy Winehouse is dead and any useful understanding of the mental illness that killed her seems far away. Already the portrait is painted and flat-packed, smelted and ready to become myth.

There is tiny Amy with the swaying beehive hair and the frightened eyes, tormented by her talent and the chaos it brought, famous at 21, dead at 27, now a member of the repulsively named "27 Club" of musicians who were also addicts and died at 27 – Joplin, Hendrix, Morrison, Cobain. All dead, all revered, as if it was their illness that made them interesting. The initial, rushed obituaries made much of Winehouse "making it" into the 27 Club. Would she make it to 28 and be shut out? No, she got in, with 54 days to spare.

Why do we give so much energy to the thrilling pantomime of an alcoholic dying in the public eye, and so little to understanding the illness that took her there? It was obvious years ago that Winehouse sick was more grotesquely interesting than Winehouse sober; as she temporarily dried out, so did the press coverage. But she relapsed, and came home to fame.

When an addict self-annihilates, stalked by paparazzi, it is easy to imagine the story belongs to us all. We all had a stake in Amy Winehouse, you might believe; her fall, and the redemption that will never come now, had a universal meaning. But it didn't. Winehouse didn't belong to us; she belonged to no one, not even herself. But you can forget that. Creative addicts – particularly female creative addicts – are always clutched to the cold global breast, even as the corpse is carried out.

Take Judy Garland, little Dorothy on Benzedrine, who kicked off her ruby slippers. She was a legend even before she was pulled off the toilet she died on in Chelsea in 1969; even this year there was a play in the West End about her collapse. I saw it and could only smell yet more exploitation of a woman who always exploited herself. Sing us a song, Judy, even though you're dead!

There is no meaning here, no wider parable about the relationship between addiction and talent, and I think that is junk too, a straw man that burns easily. Winehouse was simply an alcoholic and drug addict who had no idea of her own worth or how to cure herself. She died at 27 not because she was the magical mystical twin of Janis Joplin, but because 27 is a normal age for the body of a compulsive user of hard drugs and hard alcohol to give out.

Thousands like Winehouse die every year, and they are not venerated, or even pitied. We will not educate ourselves about the disease, or reform drug laws that plunge addicts into a shadow-world of criminality and dependence on criminals. Winehouse got away with too much said one copper, after a tape of her using was released. Did she? Did she really? Winehouse walked barefoot through the streets because that is where the drugs were, and even as her bewildered face splatters across the front pages, drug support charities are closing, expendable in this era of thrift.

Recovery rests on the edge of the self-harming knife, because no one yet knows what causes addiction, or how to cure it. The disease is impenetrable to outsiders because it is anathema to our all-conquering species that a person can be genetically predisposed to poison themselves. Addiction is still uniformly called "a self-inflicted disease" and only the most enlightened doctors will recommend Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous, self-help groups that sometimes get results, although no one knows why. A Harley Street psychiatrist once told me that I should try and "limit" my drug use; he obviously knew nothing, even as he charged £275 for 15 minutes.

She was in the Priory this summer. I was in the Priory 11 years ago,where I was "treated" for addiction, and based on my own experience it's is not the sort of place where people always get better. (I await the letter of complaint from their ever-vigilant marketing department). When I was there they offered en-suite rooms and in-room TVs, not the knowledge that a flicker of the reality of my predicament was essential to staying alive. Of course, it may have changed since my day. And she died for nothing because she thought she was nothing.

Not that we will learn; the beehive was too high, the eyes too photogenically tormented, the voice too beautiful. Her new album will be released and it will sell 10 million copies, maybe more. And there, reader, is your meaning. The addict is dead. Long live the myth.

 

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe has revealed he became addicted to alcohol as he came to terms with his fame.

The actor said: "I became so reliant on (alcohol) to enjoy stuff.
"There were a few years there when I was just so enamoured with the idea of living some sort of famous person's lifestyle that really isn't suited to me."
The actor said his drinking became an issue while working on the 2009 film Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
He claims he has not touched alcohol since August 2010.

Radcliffe was just nine when he got his break
Speaking to GQ magazine, he said: "As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time - that doesn't work for me.
"I do that very unsuccessfully."
The star was just nine years old when he got his break to play the schoolboy wizard in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

Watson has mixed emotions about finishing filming
Eight films on and the series is now the biggest film franchise of all time.
Radcliffe is worth an estimated £48m and he and his co-stars Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are household names.
As much as I would love to be a person that goes to parties and has a couple of drinks and has a nice time - that doesn't work for me.
Daniel Radcliffe
Watson, who plays Hermione, told Sky News she has mixed emotions as her Potter days draw to a close.
"It's really strange. I go from moment being like 'oh I'm so excited it's over and can't wait to have a fresh start' and then ten minutes later I'll be crying and feeling wobbly and sad and feeling quite devastated that it's all over."
Rupert Grint, who plays Ron Weasley, says he has found it hard to come to terms with the fact that it is over.
"It hasn't really sunk in yet. We finished a year ago now but it was a really sad day.
"We all cried and I wasn't expecting that. I have felt a little lost really without it because it's been such a continuous part of my daily routine for ten years."

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 will premiere Thursday
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 broke five box office records when it was released last November.
It took £17.5m over three days in the UK, making it the most successful opening weekend in history.
The final instalment, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, will premiere in Trafalgar Square on Thursday, and sees Harry facing a climatic showdown with Lord Voldermort.

Alcoholic had no memory of unprovoked murder

A chronic alcoholic who fatally attacked a man at a Melbourne hotel has been sentenced to 19 years jail.

Neville Morrison, 50, told police he drank 14 litres of cask wine the night he fatally attacked David Rodakis, 56, at the notorious Gatwick Hotel in St Kilda, in December 2008.

Today, a Victorian Supreme Court judge sentenced him to 19 years jail for the "savage" murder.

Mr Rodakis was jumped on outside his room by Morrison and his co-accused in the early hours of February 15.

The "cruel" and "brutal" attack was captured on CCTV vision.

It showed Morrison repeatedly punching, kicking and stomping on his victim, over a 14 minute period.

He continually left the victim motionless on the floor, but returned five or six times to continue the assault, stomping on his head more than 20 times.

"At all times, you were assaulting a man whom you did not know and who had not done or said anything to you," said Justice Elizabeth Curtain.

The savage attack left Mr Rodakis, who was described as a generous and docile man, in a vegetative state.

He died 13 days later of pneumonia, a common complication from severe head injuries.

Dressed in a scruffy, mismatched tracksuit, Morrison cried as the court heard details of the attack.

When he was arrested, he told police he had no memory of being at the hotel and was described as being "in disbelief."

Previously, Morrison's lawyer told the court his client had been an alcoholic all his life and usually frequented the "hard drinking hotels of the western suburbs."

But he said he was not a violent man and his participation in the savage thuggery was "unfathomable."

The court heard Morrison had been drinking five litres of wine every two days in the lead up to the attack and while he cannot remember what he did, he cannot stop thinking about his victim and says sorry each night.

The judge said his crime should be seen through the prism of intoxication.

"I understand it, that you have no memory of the events and, were it not for the CCTV footage, you would not have believed yourself capable of such acts," she said.

Judge Curtain sentenced him to 19 years jail with a non-parole period of 15 years.

As he was lead from the dock, Morrison said sorry to the family of the man he killed.

 

Hospitals admit 32 alcohol patients each day: NHS feels strain as booze cases soar

HOSPITAL staff in East Yorkshire are having to deal with an average of 32 admissions due to alcohol-related illness and injury every day.

The scale of the problem was revealed in alarming figures that show the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions reached 11,715 in 2009-10.

This has increased from 10,043 the previous year.

The admissions include alcohol-related injuries, alcoholics who need detox treatment and people with alcohol poisoning.


Health officials say the figures, which are the latest available from the NHS Information Centre, are worrying.

Phil Morley, chief executive at Hull And East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust, which runs Hull Royal Infirmary and Castle Hill Hospital, in Cottingham, said: “Any avoidable hospital admission is something we should be concerned about.

“Increasing alcohol consumption is an incredibly complicated social issue influenced by a wide range of factors.

“While people are drinking more, we will see increased numbers of people coming to hospital with alcohol-related injuries, as well as alcohol-related diseases.

“Clearly, this is an increased pressure on our services, in the same way that admissions due to smoking-related diseases put pressure on hospitals.

“There are clear national recommendations for the daily amount of alcohol men and women should consume and I would encourage our local population to drink in moderation in order to reduce the risk of serious diseases, such as mouth, throat or neck cancer, or cirrhosis.”

Hull has about 44,000 residents who drink up to or more than twice the recommended level of alcohol each week and a further 8,000 who are dependent on alcohol.

Meanwhile, in the East Riding, about 62,000 people drink up to or more than twice the recommended level of alcohol every week. There are about 9,500 people who are dependent on alcohol in the county.

In 2008-09, there were 4,840 alcohol-related hospital admissions in Hull and 5,203 in the East Riding. This increased to 5,637 in Hull and 6,078 in the East Riding in 2009-10.

The problem has increased at a faster rate in Hull and the East Riding than nationally, where the number of alcohol-related hospital admissions has topped one million, according to the figures in the report.

Paul Laing, public health lead for alcohol at NHS Hull, the city’s primary care trust (PCT), said work is being done to tackle the problem.

He said investment has been made in more alcohol detox beds and community-based detox programmes, as well as hospital-based alcohol workers who ensure alcoholics get the right support when they leave hospital.

Screening for 10,000 people is also carried out every year to determine how much they drink.

If it is considered to be a harmful level, they are given information about the impact it could have on their health and are offered support.

Mr Laing said: “Drinking behaviour has changed and people are drinking more.

“There is more availability with extended licensing hours and cheaper alcohol, so because of that, there is more alcohol-related harm.

“Often, people drink to manage periods of stress and boredom, and that can include areas of deprivation. But drinking goes across the board.

“Where there is a high level of alcohol-related harm, it is linked to deprivation and that is a problem in Hull because we have a high level of deprivation.

“But it’s not just defined by that.

“If you have a lot of money or a high-powered job, it grabs people at all levels.”

East Riding GPs also offer screening, as well as information or referral to specialist services.

NHS East Riding of Yorkshire, the county’s PCT, said there is also a community specialist alcohol service that offers advice, as well as community or inpatient detox.

 

Alcohol and meds can be lethal for seniors

April is Alcohol Awareness Month which is intended to educate people about the consequences of alcohol-related problems. Millions of older adults drink alcoholic beverages. Some of them drink too much, which can harm their health and lead to safety problems.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if someone has a drinking problem. Some signs of drinking, such as falls and depression, can be mistaken for other physical or mental conditions or other conditions related to aging.

Elderly alcohol abusers can be divided into two general types: the “hardy survivors,” those who have been abusing alcohol for many years and have reached 65, and the “late onset” group, those who begin abusing alcohol later in life.

The latter group’s alcohol abuse is often triggered by changes in life such as retirement, death or separation from a spouse or family member, a friend or a pet, health concerns, reduced income, impairment of sleep and or family conflicts.

As people age, they may become more sensitive to alcohol’s effects. This means that older adults can experience the effects of alcohol, such as slurred speech and lack of coordination, more readily than when they were younger. Over time, someone whose drinking habits haven’t changed may find he or she has a problem.

Many older adults take prescription drugs, over-the-counter drugs, and herbal remedies. Drinking alcohol can cause certain medicines to not work properly and other medicines to become more dangerous or even deadly

Mixing alcohol and some medicines can cause sleepiness, confusion, or lack of coordination, which may lead to accidents and injuries.

Depending on the type of medicine, doing so can result in increased risk of stomach or intestinal bleeding or liver damage.

Read the labels on all medications and follow the directions. Some medication labels warn people not to drink alcohol when taking the medicine. Ask a doctor or pharmacist whether it’s okay to drink alcohol while taking a certain medicine.

Among other reasons this issue flies under the radar is they are not interacting with law enforcement. Few older adults go out to bars and drink heavily. Instead, many drink alone in the privacy of their own homes — which keeps them from getting the help they need.

There is no risk of losing their job. Since most senior citizens are retired, their problem drinking does not affect them in the work place – another factor that keeps the issue shrouded in secrecy.

Remember — you can’t make a person deal with a drinking problem. You can offer support and get help for yourself. If you think you have a drinking problem talk to a health care professional like your doctor.

 

British girls are the worst teenage binge drinkers in the western world, a report has revealed.

British girls drink more booze in the UK than their male counterparts
Some 50% of 15-year-olds have been drunk at least twice - almost double the 29% average of other developed countries, figures show.
Girls also drink more alcohol in the UK than their male counterparts, with only 44% of 15-year-old boys admitting being intoxicated on two or more occasions.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) figures were published in a new report called 'Through the Looking Glass'.
They revealed that between 1998 and 2008, the proportion of girls who binge-drank - defined as consuming more than six drinks per session - increased from 17% to 27%.

Charlie Sheen crumbles during the opening night of his 20-date tour at the Fox Theatre in Detroit.

Some came out of solidarity, some came for the spectacle. Most came for both and saw no contradiction in that.

On Saturday night Charlie Sheen kicked off his tour, Sheenishly titled "Violent Torpedo of Truth/Defeat Is Not an Option," in Detroit. But that latter statement proved to be over-optimistic, and what torpedoed were the remnants of Sheen's once-impressive career.

Sheen's image has always been that of a bad boy, both on and off the screen. His misdemeanours over the years – shooting a fiancée in the arm, drug overdoses – were seen by his fans as proof of Sheen's adorable naughtiness. His hugely successful TV show, Two and a Half Men, for which he was paid almost $2m an episode, mined this reputation with his character, the wittily hedonistic, Charlie Harper. Since his very public falling out with the producers of the show earlier this year, Sheen, a once-skilled comic and character actor, has thrown his energies into giving rambling interviews, full of talk of "winning" and "tiger blood".

His father, Martin Sheen, interviewed on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs on Sunday, said his addict son needs "help and sympathy". Both were in short supply at the opening night of his show.

It was both poignant and appropriate for the former A-list Hollywood star to begin his sell-out tour in Detroit. Now less of a city and more a symbol of the death of American industry, this former hub of car manufacturing is dying. Last week, the US census report revealed that Detroit's population had dropped by a quarter in the past decade and the city's mayor was reduced to begging for a recount in the hope of bringing it up enough to qualify the city for increased state and federal aid.

Whether Sheen's appeal now lies in what some see as his aspirational lifestyle or simply voyeuristic rubbernecking is something of a fuzzy issue.

Jason Proventher, and Jack Green, both 23 and from Michigan, were quick to pinpoint why they had come: "I'm here to see him fall apart," said Green. His friend added, "He's living the American dream!"

Is falling apart the American dream?

"No," said Proventher. "It's the ride up to it that's the dream, the fun part."

"He's awesome!" cried Jeff Strasche, 36, from Detroit.

Were the rambling webcam videos Sheen recently put up on the internet awesome?

"No, those were kind of weird. But this is going to be awesome!"

Inside Detroit's sold-out 5,100 seat Fox Theater, the concession stand was doing a healthy business selling unhealthy items, including $35 T-shirts proclaiming "Bangin' 7gs", referring to Sheen's professed former drug intake, and a $25 hat that informed onlookers "I'm not bipolar".

When Sheen appeared on stage, 45 minutes late, he had the smile of a Halloween pumpkin, his mouth full of shadows where teeth had once been.

Things started well for him. His sneers at his former show, Two and a Half Men prompting cheers from the audience. But when he spoke, it was a mix of incoherencies and vitriol: "I used my power against them and stuffed their arms down their gaping throats. No time to take their stinking toupees because this warlock was on the move!" he bellowed.

"Smoke some more crack, Charlie!" someone shouted. The underrated Joaquin Phoenix 2010 mockumentary, I'm Still Here – about a Hollywood star who suffers a mental breakdown and is bullied by the public – suddenly looked shockingly prescient. Heartbreakingly, clips of Sheen from Platoon and Wall Street played on screen while Sheen himself stumbled about on stage. He tried to show a film he made in the 1980s with Johnny Depp, but the boos prompted an early end to that.

"Maybe it's more appropriate for me to tell some crack stories," he said.

The audience cheered.

"What do you want me to talk about?" he asked a member of the audience.

"I want to hear about the porn stars!"

"Why do you want to hear about that?" he asked, disappointed.

It was a classic misunderstanding: he thought they loved him for his fearless honesty; they did, but only in regards to his intake of crack and porn.

"OK, OK, I'll do some crack stories," he relented, desperately.

Soaring numbers of women are drinking hazardous amounts of alcohol, figures show.

The proportion consuming more than the recommended limit of 14 units a week has grown by a fifth in a decade.

Almost one in five women drinks in excess of this amount, with one in 20 downing more than 35 units a week – the equivalent of four bottles of wine.

By contrast, men’s drinking habits have remained constant over the ten years, with a quarter – 26 per cent – consuming more than their recommended limit of 21 units a week.


Over the limit: Almost one in five women now drink in excess of the recommended 14 units a week

The figures, published by the Office for National Statistics, will add to concerns that women are fast catching up with the opposite sex in the drinking stakes.

Although men’s average weekly intake is twice as high – 16 units compared to eight units – recent figures have pointed to a surge in binge drinking among females, particularly young girls.

Experts claim that British women are happy to be seen to be drinking as much as men on nights out, unlike in other countries where it would be frowned upon.

Campaigners have blamed the alcohol industry for targeting drinks at women and warn there is now a casual acceptance of drunkenness.

The latest ONS figures, for 2009, show that 18 per cent of women drink more than 14 units a week, up from 15 per cent in 1998.



Since 1998 the number of women drinking more than 35 units a week has doubled, up from 2 per cent to 4 per cent.


On average women drink eight units a week. But this is higher for those aged 16 to 24, who consume an average of 10.3 units.

The findings back up recent figures showing young women are drinking just as much as men, and are far more likely to end up in hospital.

An NHS Information Centre report found that teenage girls drink an average of 11.3 units a week – the equivalent of six medium glasses of wine or five pints of beer.

This compares with 11.9 units for the average boy drinker, aged 11 to 15.

The figures also showed that in 2009, a total of 3,661 girls were admitted to hospital with ‘alcohol-specific conditions’ – such as liver damage or ethanol poisoning – compared with 2,751 boys.

Don Shenker, chief executive of Alcohol Concern, said of the NHS figures: ‘Under-age drinking is an issue that we should all be concerned about.

‘Young girls are saturated by images, messages and role models, including the way adults drink, which creates a casual acceptance of drunkenness.

‘But this culture is taking a toll on young people’s health, with high levels of hospital admissions and all too frequent trips to A&E. The next generation of binge-drinkers are being created through access to cheap booze in supermarkets and irresponsible marketing by multi-million-pound retailers and producers.’

Earlier this year a separate report by Alcohol Concern warned that, by 2015, the equivalent of three Britons will be taken to hospital every minute as a direct result of alcohol

million people currently suffering addiction, and around 50 people dying every day from it, in this country alone, the issue deserves a lot more attention than it gets.

With over a million people currently suffering addiction, and around 50 people dying every day from it, in this country alone, the issue deserves a lot more attention than it gets.
Yet it seems the only attention it does get is behind doors. You go to a meeting, and everyone talks about how bad it is to be addicted, and how wonderful it is to have gone 637 days without a drink. Or you go to rehab, and find yourself in an environment that's nothing like home. Either way, you walk out the door, and all the cues are screaming at you to get straight back into it, while nobody is there to constantly remind you of all the reasons you got off your drug(s) of choice.
The fact of the matter is, people get addicted to what they get addicted to because they like it. If you want to help someone get off their drug(s) of choice, it's probably a good idea to show the substance(s) some respect. It's also a good idea to be there for the addict when s/he needs you the most.
This is what The Fix does. Launched this week, the website offers a real-world take on drug addiction. It doesn't glorify drugs or addiction, but speaks about them from the perspective of people who have been there, incorporating expert opinions and advice from addiction and recovery professionals.
Billed as "Your daily dose of breaking news, exclusive interviews and investigative reports about sex, drugs, and alcohol addiction," The Fix was founded by people who know their subject matter well. Maer Roshan, who earlier founded Radar Magazine, spent some time after leaving that magazine in rehab for alchohol abuse, and Joe Schrank is a 'recovery specialist' (which means he spends a lot of time helping people through recovery, not actually in recovery).
With topics like, How do you overcome a relapse without feeling totally hopeless?; The Truth About the "New" Coke Vaccine; and Falling in Love with a Crackhead, you just know this site is about as gritty as you can get.

Brendan Fevola has been banned indefinitely from Crown casino after again being stopped from going on to the gaming floor.

Fevola, 30, who is battling addictions to alcohol and gambling, reportedly was with former controversial AFL figure Ben Cousins at Crown on Sunday night.

Casino officials immediately turned Fevola away after he tried to enter the gaming floor.

Fevola had earlier dined at a casino restaurant and had accommodation booked in the complex.

It is the second time in a month the dual Coleman Medal winner has been denied access to the casino's gaming facilities.

A Crown spokesman said Fevola had been told he was not welcome to gamble anywhere in the casino, but could not confirm that Cousins, a recovering drug addict, was with Fevola.

"A few weeks ago we saw Mr Fevola on the gaming floor and at the time he was told that it wasn't in his best interests or own interest for him to be in the casino," the spokesman said.

"We were aware he had been undergoing treatment for a gambling problem.

"We told him he wasn't welcome back. We thought he got the message . . . so we explained to him again (on Sunday) that the earlier message stood.

"As far as I am aware, he took it well and there was no kerfuffle and he left."

It is the latest in a series of gambling incidents involving the former Carlton and Brisbane star, who was spotted playing poker machines at the Berwick Inn last week. He later claimed his gambling addictions were related to horses only, saying: "It's my life, I can f---ing do whatever I want."

Fevola is attempting to revive his football career with the Casey Scorpions after he was sacked by Brisbane.

He was in a Brisbane rehabilitation centre earlier this year for treatment for gambling and alcohol addictions. He revealed in a television interview he also had attempted suicide as he hit rock bottom during the darkest stages of his depression.

Court records show a Gallatin man who is accused of leaving his 9-year-old stepdaughter to die after a suspected DUI crash has five prior DUI convictions.

Court records show a Gallatin man who is accused of leaving his 9-year-old stepdaughter to die after a suspected DUI crash has five prior DUI convictions.

Police arrested Dusty McDonald last Tuesday night, after he crashed his truck into a tree on Whitson Road in Westmoreland.

Police said McDonald fled the scene, leaving his step-daughter was trapped inside. Medics rushed the girl to the hospital, but she later died.
Man Charged In Crash That Killed 8-Year-Old Stepdaughter

According to an affidavit, McDonald has five prior DUI convictions that occurred between 1998 and 2000 in Oregon.

He is now charged with aggravated vehicular homicide, leaving the scene of an accident, and driving on a suspended license.